General

I was once at the home of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) when she slaughtered a goat. While I was still at her home, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) entered with a small stick in his blessed hand.

On entering, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) placed the small stick down and then entered the musjid where he performed two rakaats of salaah. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) thereafter returned and lay down on his bed, asking ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), “Is there anything to eat?”

Khedive Ismail Pasha was appointed as the ruler over Egypt by the Ottoman Empire. During his reign, Egypt and Ethiopia were at war from 1874 to 1876. Due to the disunity that existed between the various commanders of the Egyptian army, Egypt suffered numerous defeats during this war, and was ultimately unsuccessful against Ethiopia.

One day, Khedive Ismail felt depressed and overcome by anxiety on account of the defeats that Egypt was suffering. He thus mounted his conveyance and set out with his minister, Shareef Pasha, hoping to find a way to relieve his anxiety and dispel his worries. While they were out, he turned to Shareef Pasha and asked him, “When you have a serious problem that you need to solve, what do you do?” Shareef Pasha answered, “It is my habit that when I have a problem, I request the pious ‘Ulama to recite the kitaab, Saheeh Bukhaari, on my behalf. Through the blessings of this kitaab, Allah Ta‘ala assists me to solve my problem.” Khedive Ismail replied, “We will speak to the Shaikh of Al-Azhar and ask him to arrange for Saheeh Bukhaari to be recited.”

There was once a slave girl named Jowharah (rahimahallah) (which means ‘jewel’). She initially belonged to a certain king, but was thereafter freed. After gaining emancipation, she renounced the world, married Abu ‘Abdillah Al-Baraathi (rahimahullah) and dedicated her life to remaining engaged in the ‘ibaadah of Allah Ta‘ala. The following are two incidents which shine in the life of this gleaming jewel:

On one occasion, Jowharah (rahimahallah) asked her husband, “O Abu ‘Abdillah! Will women be adorned with jewellery when they enter Jannah?” When he replied in the affirmative, she suddenly emitted a shriek and collapsed unconscious. When she thereafter recovered and regained her senses, her husband asked her, “What happened?” She replied, “I remembered my previous condition and lifestyle, and all the luxuries of the world that I had acquired. By Allah, I feared that I would be deprived of abundant rewards in the Hereafter!”

There was once a person who made wudhu, called out the azaan and then called the people around him to join him for salaah. However, it was 9am and he was dressed in only a short pants! “What salaah are you performing?” one person asked. “Zuhr,” he replied. “But it’s still 9am! It’s not yet time for Zuhr!” the people objected. “Never mind!” he responded, “That’s a small thing! The main thing is that I’m reading Zuhr!” “How can you perform salaah wearing only short-pants?” another person enquired. Once again, he replied, “That’s a small thing! The main thing is that I’m reading Zuhr!”

Although the above example may be farfetched, it aptly highlights the importance of knowing how and when to fulfil the commands of Allah Ta‘ala. If one fails to observe these two essential aspects, then instead of earning the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala – which is the very objective – he will earn His displeasure.

Sayyiduna Jaabir (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned, “Every good deed is an act of sadaqah, and among good deeds is that you meet your (Muslim) brother with a cheerful countenance and that you pour from your bucket into the container of your brother.” (Sunan Tirmizi #1970)

In the above hadeeth, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) explained that every good deed is sadaqah (a means of one earning the reward of sadaqah). Hence, we should never disregard any good deed, no matter how ‘small’ it may seem, as it will earn us immense reward. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) thereafter mentioned two examples of good deeds that are perhaps overlooked by many people.